Polio Vaccination: Health officials confident of meeting targets

Health officials confident ongoing polio drive will come close to achieving its target.

LAHORE:

Health officials are confident that the ongoing polio drive will come close to achieving its target of vaccinating 1.306 million children against the disease.

District Officer (Health) Dr Haq Nawaz Bharwana told The Express Tribune that based on data gathered from various union councils on the number of children already given polio drops, “95 per cent” of the target would definitely be achieved.

Dr Bharwana said that samples from sewerage works in Lahore confirmed the presence of the germ that causes polio.

He said the Health Department had assigned 5,500 people to immunise children during the campaign this month.

Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Umar Farooq Baloch said that he was holding daily meetings with the district coordination officer to make sure that each part of Lahore is covered. He said there were no polio cases in Lahore, but there was a risk of migrant populations bringing the disease in.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2011.